P500,000 reward up for info on Aklan journalist’s killer

This file photo posted on the Facebook page of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security shows police investigators inspecting the house of veteran journalist Juan "Johnny" Dayang, 89, who was shot and killed by a lone gunman in his home in Kalibo, Aklan, on Tuesday night. Dayang (below) was chair emeritus of the Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc. and a former mayor of Kalibo. —PHILIPPINE TASK FORCE/FACEBOOK

The provincial government of Aklan and the local government of the provincial capital Kalibo have offered a P500,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect behind the killing of veteran journalist Juan “Johnny” Dayang, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6) earlier said that the male suspect in the killing of Dayang, who was also a former mayor of Kalibo, has been positively identified by local authorities, but it has yet to divulge his identity.

Based on initial investigation, the PNP said the suspect had a prior criminal record and was previously arrested for violation of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, during a buy-bust operation in Pasig City in May 2021.

Charges were now ready for filing against the suspect, who remains at large, the PNP said.

“In support of the ongoing police operations, the Provincial Government of Aklan and the local government unit of Kalibo have jointly offered a ₱500,000 reward to any individual who can provide credible information on the whereabouts of the suspect,” the PNP said in a statement on Thursday.

The PNP assured the public that the identity of informants would be kept strictly confidential.

Relentless

Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil, the PNP chief, said the police would be relentless in pursuing the suspect in Dayang’s killing.

“His identity has been confirmed, and we are exhausting all means to bring him to justice,” Marbil said.

“This is not just about one man-it is about our collective duty to uphold press freedom and protect those who seek and speak the truth,” he added.

The PNP, according to Marbil, has been in close coordination with the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) and other investigative agencies to ensure that justice “is served swiftly and decisively.”

Dayang, an 89-year-old veteran journalist, was watching television inside his home in Barangay Andagao of Kalibo on April 29 when killed by a bullet that pierced through his neck and two others that hit his back, which were fired by a lone shooter who was positioned just outside his house.

Dayang was the first journalist killed in the country this year and sixth since President Marcos assumed office in June 2022.